That day when . . .

[Razorskier1]

Lake was glass and sky was overcast this morning. So excited to ski! Take the boat off the lift, drive through the channel to the other bay where the course is and . . . wait for it . . . three teenagers in a frickin' giant Malibu Surf Boat! WTF?!?!? It is 6:25 in the morning. You don't need the lake to yourself at that time of day to surf.

 

I ski a set of 32s through the gigantic rollers. Then shut the boat off and wait. My wife has steam coming out of her ears. Since she was going to ski open water anyway, I suggest that we idle back to the other bay and give her a pull and hope they get done soon. She skis, we start back. Now it's 7:30. They are just getting done and are idling toward home. I stop and ask if they are for sure done because skiing isn't possible while they surf. yep. I go to the course and put on the ski. Water is still rolly. Run some 32s. Suddenly their boat goes all the way across the lake at speed and then turns perpendicular and crosses the end of the course. I run another pass and then that all has to roll through. Sit in the water and wait. Finally it clears and I get to finish up with seven 35s and another 32.

 

I guess I should be happy I have some work schedule flexibility today. However, it's really depressing to see a surf boat at 6:30!

[Chef23]

We ski on public water and face similar challenges at times. Is there somewhere else on the lake theyt could wakesurf? Our slalom course is in a cove and we have had good success by talking to people and asking nicely if they skiing, tubing, wakeboarding etc in the main lake. I have only had one person not be willing to work with us.

 

I have found that most people don't know anything about the slalom course even if it has been in the water for a long time and don't understand how calm the water needs to be. Frequently people think they are doing things to help that still make it impossible to ski.

[slow]

Good to see teen age kids up bright and early enjoying them selves

[gt2003]

Ran into that w open water skiing a year or two ago. Big boat, huge rollers. Got mad, moved to a different location way up lake. I'll be damned if not 10 minutes later that jackass shows up again! Yes, it's their water to enjoy but let's be respectful!

[6balls]

Makes me feel so lucky for our little farm swamp. 2 courses, one boat, great wind protection, no one else uses it. Not only great to ski there, but just relaxing and peaceful.

[Steven_Haines]

We have to deal with wakers and wake surfers at Canyon Lake too! They have to travel through our area to get to theirs, most are respectful, but you get a few who don't know or don't care. It gets frustrating! Especially when there's a 4x8 sheet of plywood at the ramp that clearly states the rules of this particular body of water. I'm thankful that we can share and work together, but there's always 1. I'm sure that they say that about us too!

[UWSkier]

You haven't lived until you've surfed in glass brah!

[Razorskier1]

@Chef23 -- I could try to send them into the other bay, but there is another skier who skis open water over there every morning. Wouldn't be friendly to send them over there either, unfortunately. I'm just hoping that they are college kids and that they will be leaving for school soon.

[Fam-man]

Challenges with sharing water especially when other parties don't understand wake etiquette because it doesn't really influence what they are doing. Similar experience in July, there was a lineup of slalom skiers, 4 boats, one morning in a cove that we always ski. Each group would take their turn and follow the same line - no course available so just free skiing. Then here comes the G23 wake machine and wakeboarder about 20 yards offset of the line we were running. After that pass they headed out of the cove at 45 degrees with a surfer. Of course it was on a huge lake with all kinds of room, they were just oblivious.

Nobody in the ski group bothered to chat with them, we just all bitched about it, so we are also to blame by not even trying to discuss sharing for the enjoyment of all. Whether they would be receptive or not is another matter and we will never know.

[Orlando76]

We have a problem where I ski half the time, public water. My partner can't start prior to 9 on the weekend. Finally got him to 815 am. Surprisingly just a few fishermen which some aren't a problem. Now we have a skier free skiing the other side of the lake, half a mile or so away, throwing rollers into the course. He thinks he's doing good by being so far away but the rollers catch up with us.

[rodltg2]

At least you got to ski this morning ! I was staring out my kitchen window at a perfectly glass calm lake with no one to ski . Not even a ripple.

[Fast351]

I think that most people that don't waterski just don't have any idea what we seek. You just have to grin and bear it on public water.

 

Hell, I think my ski has a curse on it. Lake perfectly calm, throw on my ski, about ready to hop in the water, and three jet skis come from nowhere to screw up the water. It happens with alarming regularity actually.

 

On the weekends we ski early enough that there usually isn't anyone out ripping up the lake, but during the week it's not really feasible to ski before work, so we try to ski in the evening. It's a crap shoot. Sometimes you get lucky and no one else is out. Sometimes there are people tubing/cruising around/jet skiing until sunset.

 

Can't wait until after labor day. Kids back in school, and the weather in Minnesota cools enough that only the hardy are out in the water.

 

[Razorskier1]

@OB1 -- totally true, and I've been pretty lucky. Most days its a fisherman or two moving around and a little waiting, or maybe trading passes with another friend. My point is that there are only so many mornings where the wind is so nice to us, and it's disappointing to lose one of those few great mornings to a giant surf boat for an hour. Like I said, I'm still lucky -- I got to ski in the end, and just came to work late!

[Wish]

Hah!! just had one of those days..sorta. Absolute glass water. Went to move my fin a good bit forward testing some new numbers on an older Denali, and the fin wont go. Looked and it as far as it will go in the slot in the ski. Dang. tick tick tick.. Rush to get a power tool and lengthen fin slot in the ski. Drop fin back in and it still wont move. I checked the travel within the fin block thought I saw enough daylight. Missed seeing the back of fin hitting the clamp bolt. Dang!!...tick tick tick..there is now a breeze. Rush to get another power tool to grind away the fin so it clears. Back in block, all new numbers set (that took a while to get all 3 perfect).. Time to ski. Uncover boat, drop it in, load gear..no gas in tank. DANG!! Rush to grab a spare can in shed..empty. SON OF A..... Grab boat cans and rush to gas station..tick Tick TICK.. Wind is now picking up significantly. Got gas, fill tank and headed out. Ball 5 is flat and somewhat under water..ARE YOU KIDDING!! Back to dock for replacement ball. Hang it, and start skiing. Wind was up and but not horrible. It's just that it was glass for almost an hour when I went to make 3 fin adjustments to the ski and go. On a positive not, the setting worked very well with the RTP.

[Razorskier1]

@Wish -- yep! It is all about seeing candy and then not getting to have any!

[PatM]

I feel you right now. I finally got the green light to ski from my ortho after being out for three months. Come home to see two boats with tubers and then a storm hits. The good thing the storm has chased them off the lake.

[wtrskior]

It's the weekend and the wind has picked up of course. Thunderstorms in the forecast all day tomorrow anD plenty of rain. When I'm at work next week it will be mint I'm sure! This sport sucks!!!

[BraceMaker]

Wouldn't it be nice if the boat manufacturers/dealers kind of mentioned etiquette in their boat sales. How to direct wakes in a friendly way. How not to disrupt small craft

[bishop8950]

Ah, public water. I have been a private lake skier for 15 years. It really suits the control freak in me. This week I happen to be back in MI at my parents house where it all started on a small but public lake. I really enjoy free skiing and it does help my course skiing. I am on no schedule and can wait around until the other boat traffic stops and then we sprint to the doc with a slight adreline rush hoping no other boats start up. I had almost forgotten that feeling and it really makes you appreciate the smooth water that I don't think twice about at our private ski lake.

 

It would be tough if I had a small window of time and got skunked by a surf boat but of course we have to share. When I lived here I had good results talking to some of the other boaters and they were mostly happy to cooperate. Some were dicks as will be the case with most any group of humans.

 

 

[6ball]

We got sick of dealing with tubers/surfers a couple seasons ago and towed our course down the river feeding our lake . What a great decision, we see a fisherman maybe 1 in 3 trips over there and thats it, like a private lake.

[skimtb]

I'm a believer that most people don't know. In some cases they may even think they are "helping" by sending you some rollers to jump.

Need to initiate a polite conversation somehow.... Part education and part begging...

There are of course exceptions to every rule.

[skidawg]

You are a better junkie than I @Razorskier1 - I would probably never ski again if I had to battle public water

[MillerTime38]

@skidawg you would be surprised what you will do when there is no buoys to turn......

 

On a side note, I have been skiing public water the last 2 months thanks to @mjump and I have been really surprised how much it has helped me in the course. To put into context when I skied private water for 7 years I was running deep 38 and on a rare occasion get into 39 and I took nearly a year off after relocating to Jacksonville. Honestly I was a ski snob. A few weeks ago we got in the course and I scrapped through a 32, due to wind and rain we had almost two weeks of open water skiing and next time in the course I am crushing 32 again and knocking on the door @ 35 (58K).. I think the key to open water skiing is intensity and don't stop turning after 6 turns. We find some calm water and I start at 28 off and make as many turns until I get tired usually around 16 - 20 then drop shorten to 32 make 12-15 turns and then drop shorten to 35 and usually get 8-10 turns. Once in a while shorten to 38 and just try to put together a couple smooth turns. I am excited about waterskiing again and that's all that really matters

 

 

[Porkfight]

On, I was pulling a friend behind her own '81 Stars and Stripes Mastercraft on the Parker Strip at about 8 am. A red Nautique G25 plowed by us in the narrow section by the island and my friend said she could see her prop from behind when we hit that wake. Clueless and careless with too much money.

 

That said, several other massive boats yielded to us while we were pulling skiers throughout the weekend. There are still a few respectful boaters out there.

[Razorskier1]

this is turning into a trend rather than a one-off. On the one hand, I should count myself lucky that in the nearly 20 years I've been on the lake I've been able to ski before work. On the other hand, that remains the only hour of the day that any of us can slalom on the lake, whereas surfing requires much less pristine conditions. ugh.

[Lars]

I have to chuckle as I read this thread only because this seems to be the norm for me. Today for example, got off work early today and was on the lake at 3, lake was glass... except for a surfer. Bah, went anyway, then while taking a break at one end a jetski with two tubes starts weaving between the buoys. I'm sure they had no idea, the ignorance is unbelievable! Meanwhile our bay is empty and still glass...

It did settle down a little and I got my opening pass on the 6th try, so I got that going for me, which is nice.

[ozski]

There have been times when I have google "buy torpedo"...

[xrated]

Luckily our lake doesn't have surfers and I'm told is to shallow for it to work well.

 

But you wouldn't believe the number of times I have threatened to travel under cover of darkness with a hole saw to certain jet ski lifts....and pontoon lifts.

 

 

[MISkier]

@Lars, cool Caddyshack reference.

[OTF]

@xrated forget the cover of darkness if you really want to make a statement you need to use that hole saw about 10sec after you physically remove them from their watercraft.

[6balls]

I remember pulling my brother on a barefoot run many years ago and having a pontoon totally speed up and shoot in front of our path perpendicular easily could have waited for us to pass. Jim takes a driller and does his best Michael Phelps while yelling on each breath "come...back...here...I'm...gonna...beat...you...like...a...pinata!"

[Razorskier1]

@Lars - yep, the joys of loving a sport that no longer has a place on public water.

[sunvalleylaw]

I have skied my whole life mostly on public water, unless I was invited to a private lake. If we want the good stuff where I have skied, we have to get up. Now, at Redfish Lake, earlier than ever, as some of the surf guys get up too. But I like morning missions. Once I get mine in (codeword IGM), I can deal with taking the kids surfing or wakeboarding or tubing or whatever. Generally, it works better for wind too. Because other users are not affected by rollers as much as we are (exceptions for certain skilled users such as skilled wakeboarders) they just don't know or think about their impact. Where I grew up, in a little bay outside of Gig Harbor, the ones that bugged me were the PWC guys that zoomed around with no concept of travel in a small, enclosed bay. That got dangerous.

[ESPNSkier]

As I exited the course the other day I passed a jet ski coming in from the opposite direction and running the buoys. She spun around and ran the course coming back at us. We tried to wave her down for a quick chat about slalom course safety but she smiled and waved as she blew past us....totally clueless and really dangerous!

[Razorskier1]

Yep. And the hard part is getting someone's attention when they either don't stop, or are only in the hole briefly. I have found that approaching someone at wide open throttle in order to get a chance to talk usually ends badly, but how else do you get their attention long enough to have a conversation???